Swissport USA Cabin Cleaners, Ramp Workers at Logan Strike to Protest ‘Intimidation,’ ‘Retaliation’

Cabin cleaners and ramp workers at Logan International Airport rallied Friday to protest what they said were unfair labor practices of intimidation and retaliation by their parent company, Swissport USA.

The strike comes as an SEIU 32BJ official says Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office is investigating the Switzerland-based outfit. The attorney general’s office received more than 20 complaints against Swissport over the last five years including for allegations of non-payment of wages, according to public data.

A spokesperson for Campbell said the office cannot confirm or deny any ongoing investigations.

A group of roughly 20 Swissport workers gathered in front of the state transportation building in downtown Boston where they accused Swissport USA managers of reducing work hours and handing out warnings for participating in union-related business at their workplace.

Some workers said they were “mocked” by management for trying to unionize with the Service Employees International Union.

Tiffany Perkins-Sullivan has worked for Swissport USA for eight months, handling everything underneath planes from wing walking to baggage and fueling to pushing planes off gates. She said the company does not “really like us speaking up … about what goes on there.”

“They will try to intimidate you and make you feel like you might lose your job if you do,” Perkins-Sullivan told the Herald.

Perkins-Sullivan said she often works with faulty equipment, dealt with favoritism, lack of training, and has experienced “wage theft,” or instances where she said she was not paid for all the hours she worked.

“The equipment that we use, a bunch of them doesn’t work,” Perkins-Sullivan said. “There’s something, at least one thing wrong with each of the things that we drive, which is unsafe because we’re on the road a lot. So for example, there wouldn’t be a windshield wiper, headlights, simple necessities that we would need … on the tarmac to just simply do our job correctly and safely.”

A Swissport spokesperson said the health and safety of all their employees is “the highest priority.” The company employs roughly 500 workers in their ground handling business at Logan, which serves 18 airlines, according to the spokesperson.

“Contrary to these claims, Swissport fully complies with all applicable labor regulations, and provides competitive wages and benefits,” the company said in a statement to the Herald. “In all the cities in which we operate in the United States, Swissport fully complies with operating permit requirements.”

The strike in Boston came a day after Swissport workers in New York walked off the job to protest unsafe working conditions, equipment issues, and what they said was retaliation against organizing.

Roxana Rivera, assistant to the president of SEIU 32BJ, said workers in Boston are in the process of unionizing with SEIU 32BJ. And Swissport USA, Rivera said, has retaliated against workers for speaking about issues at the workplace.

By the end of Friday, Rivera said a majority of the 100 Swissport USA workers at Logan will have walked off the job. Workers also went on strike in December, Rivera said.

“The conditions of work here at Boston Logan Airport are not much different than other places, like the LaGuardia Airport and Dulles [ International Airport],” Rivera said.

A Massachusetts Port Authority spokesperson said the airport takes all complaints by employees within Logan “seriously.” The strike did not affect operations at the airport, the spokesperson said.

“Our staff regularly meets with labor, tenants and employees to discuss issues and concerns involving the companies that provide services to airlines operating at Logan,” the spokesperson said.

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